It's HTC Desire S with Android Version 2.3.3. The best part about the version of this Android is the 'App-2-SD' feature - that is, transfer of apps from phone to SD Card.

My ex-phone SE Xperia X10 mini had Android Version 2.1-update1. Obviously, the only 'hang-up' I had with this phone was there was no 'App-2-SD' feature. The sadest part was when SE officially announced that there would be no upgrade to 2.2 - hence, no support for 'App-2-SD' feature.

Malaysia
has never been an Islamic State as our Constitution is very specific on
it. It was the Mental Mamak(our equivalent to Singapore 's MM) who lied
all the way when he declared Malaysia as an Islamic Country and
therefore State in 2001. Lim Kit Siang immediately corrected him but he
being the person he is insisted that he was right. Jokers like Ling
Liong Sik, Samy Vellu and Lim Keng Yaik of
course did not object and quietly agreed with him and so did the other
BN leaders. This mamak has damaged our country through and through.

MM also passed the Syariah Law in Selangor in 1995 with the help of MCA, MIC, and Gerakan.

Ask
MCA, MIC and Gerakan why they support an Islamic State and passed laws
to support it, and now complain that DAP is supporting an Islamic State,
when DAP has never ever agreed to do so. The evidence is beyond doubt,
it is in the public domain, ask them, the shameless ones, do they have
an answer?
Worth listening to this recording. Our constitution is the most altered,
amended, and modified constitution in the whole wide world. We must
never ever let UMNO get back their 2/3rds majority ever again. If they
do, then our country will go to the dogs. UMNO will again start
changing the constitution like there is no to-morrow. It will be
changed to suit UMNO, just like they changed the constitution/rules/laws
to allow for gerrymandering of the consituency, where a rural
constituency with an electorate of 5,000 voters is entitled to vote for
one MP/DUN, whereas in urban localities, an electorate of 100,000 can
only vote for one MP. What sort of democracy do you call this? Can
someone out there enlighten me. Whether you're pro-BN or
pro-opposition, please, do not, in your wildest dreams ever allow UMNO
their 2/3rds majority. Don't ever let Malaysia go the way of Zimbabwe ,
Somali, or Myanmar .

An interesting speech by Dr. Azmi Sharom; an Assistant
Professor of Law at UM. He explains the CONSTITUTION: the Malaysian
supreme law. Listen to this, it's interesting and refreshing.

For
people who think that only BN can govern properly. Think again. Once BN
gets back their 2/3 in Parliament they will start amending the
Constitution. Then we won't have the Constitution that protects ALL.
Educate yourself about what the supreme law of the land says. Then vote
wisely.

*To give service to a single heart with a single Act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayers

Kamaras(+60162153547)(Professional Business & Life Coach)

NOTICE: This confidential e-mail message is only for the intended
recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that
disclosing, copying, distributing, or any other use of this message, is
strictly prohibited. In such case, please destroy this message and
notify the sender.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Earlier, I blogged that my family has already consumed Massimo as soon as it entered the market, not knowing anything about the 'Umno-linked' Gardenia.

In fact, my family has not consumed Gardenia for a long, long time. Before Massimo, it was another cheaper (though not necessarily nicer) bread than Gardenia. ;) Now that there is Massimo, the cheaper and better bread, consuming it makes sense, even more so when I know about the 'Umno-linked' Gardenia. ;)

A man who claimed to be a 'datuk' pleaded not guilty today to
cheating the director of National Feedlot Corporation of almost RM2
million in consultation fees.

Shamsulbahrin Ismail, 45, faces two counts of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court:

1. He is accused of cheating NFC director Mohamad Salleh Ismail
into handing over cheques for the sum of over M1.755 million at Solaris
Mont Kiara on Nov 25 to Dec 6, 2011

2. He is also charged with cheating by promising Mohamad Salleh
"consultancy services" which he knew he could not deliver, in order to
charge a fee, at a restaurant in Bukit Tunku, Kuala Lumpur.

Shamsulbahrin, in a blue striped shirt and a blazer, calm and has to hand over his
international passport to the court.appeared. Bail
was set at RM300,000 with one surety and if found guilty, Shamsulbahrin faces a jail term between one and 10 years.

Shamsulbahrin, who owns several companies including a limousine
service outlet, was first arrested on Dec 22 for attempting to bribe police
investigating officers in the NFC probe, and had his remand extended
several times this week.

He was handed over to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission hours after he was detained by the police.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — Adam Adli Abdul Halim would have just
been another student activist until his act of bringing down a banner
bearing a picture of Datuk Seri Najib Razak during a peaceful
demonstration drew more media attention than the cause itself.

Following the incident, what started out as a small student protest
for academic freedom on December 17 has now escalated into a growing
movement of undergraduates, university lecturers and members of the
public, uniting and demanding the government repeal the controversial
Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA), which strictly
prohibits political activities on campuses.

File photo of Adam Adli (centre) speaking to the press in Kuala Lumpur on December 23, 2011. — Picture by Jack Ooi

It
had also put the 22-year-old student of the Sultan Idris University of
Education in the public limelight, drawing both admiration and
disapproval alike.

Despite his sudden catapult to fame and accelerated awareness of the
UUCA, Adam Adli remains unfazed and hopes this exposure “will be the end
of our 40 years of unfinished struggle”.

“Academic freedom will be another big cause to be fought together in
the struggle to rebuild our corrupted country... It is just as important
as other issues discussed in society,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

“Many people, including the students, have never heard of academic
freedom, UUCA, and ‘magna carta’ (a Bill drafted by students to replace
the Act) until this (incident) happened. (Now), it seems that even the
pro-government bloggers are struggling to understand our cause,” he
said.

The self-professed rebel stands by his actions and reiterates “lowering the banner was a sign of protest”.

“But another reason unnoticed was, if I didn’t lower the banner, how
on earth would I be able to raise the academic freedom’s flag?” he
asked.

“It was two birds with one stone. It was a sign of protest on (Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s) policy on students and universities
and also a sign of victory for the many hours of protest on that day.”

Adam Adli said his interest in student activism dates back to 2010
when he was banned from campus elections for participating in
Demonstrasi Air 2009, a protest against the Selangor water price hike.

“Since there, there was no turning back for me. The reason is clear:
we need to prove to the people that we, as students, are part of the
people and system. We want to represent the people,” he said.

“Students had their role in history of fighting for the people, thus
within this short time we would like to carve our own history. But first
we have to free the students and universities, then we will prove to
the people what can we do for the country,” he added.

In recent weeks, cybertroopers have rallied behind Adam Adli, with
Facebook page “We Are All Adam Adli” drawing close to 30,000 ‘likes’.
However, all is not rosy in Adam’s struggle.

In addition to criticisms from the public and numerous government
officials, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu
Bakar said the authorities are keeping a close watch on Adam and advised
him to exercise caution when going about his activities.

This prompted the feisty student to respond confidently that he does not feel threatened by such statements.

“I’m not going to give up. How can they restrict me? I don’t see why must they do so,” Adam Adli said.

“I believe, and I know, I’m not doing anything wrong … I’m just
voicing out my rights to protest over government policies and actions,”
he added.

He stressed that the uprising of youth can never be denied and “it is
about time for everyone to realise the struggle of student activists”.

“Students are not fools or tools. They see, they learn, they acquire
the knowledge, and they are ready to make our country a better place. In
no time I believe many more will come out,” he said.

“The future now belongs to the youths.”

Why should there be banners bearing the faces of 'Umno-appointed' PMs anyway?

Are they above the Agong and Malay rulers? I believe they are especially since Dr M removed the Rulers' immunity to prosecution following the constitutional crisis of 1992-93.

In Raja Petra's posting entitled 'My reminder to theSultanofSelangor: HowUmnostripped theRulersnaked', he said:It would appear from Dr Mahathir's 1993 speech that it is perfectly
legal to sue members of the royalty. It would also appear that UMNO
members, particularly prime ministers, can make allegations against the
country's royalty that opposition leaders and members of the press
can't. We invite readers to decide for themselves. We reprint Dr
Mahathir's historic 1993 speech below in its entirety.

Is it fair to deduce that a lack of political will is the reason corruption in Malaysia is doing brisk business?

REWIND 2011

One must beware of ministers who can do nothing without money and those who want to do everything with money – Indira Gandhi.

Corruption has become a way of life for politicians in this country.
Under the disguise of defending the rakyat’s well-being, these
unscrupulous politicians are in actual fact looking after the welfare of
their own kith and kin.

This “C” (corruption) factor while a favourite among the politicians
has become a menace and bane for the people, most whom have become
exasperated at the after-effects of a corrupt system.

Earlier this month, the Transparency International Malaysia survey
revealed that for the third consecutive year, Malaysia recorded a
decline in its Corruption Perception Index score, its 4.3 score slightly
lower than the 4.4 recorded in 2010 and much lower than the government
benchmark of 4.9.

Is it fair to deduce that a lack of political will is the reason
corruption in Malaysia is doing “brisk” business? If the recent cases of
palm greasing involving politicians who also hold ministerial
responsibilities are any indication, then yes, there is no commitment
coming from the “powers that be” to weed out corruption from the system.

Nipping the malignant bud of corruption is not something the federal
government is interested in. Instead, the government under the Barisan
Nasional flagship is doing the reverse.

When Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak “unceremoniously” deported French
human rights lawyer William Bourdon five months ago, Suara Rakyat
Malaysia or Suaram was convinced that the premier and his government are
“inextricably linked” with the Scorpene submarines corruption scandal.

Bourdon was representing Suaram in a high-profile case filed against submarines’ vendor DCN at the Parisian courts.

(In 2002, Najib then the defence minister, sanctioned the purchase of
the Scorpene submarines amid accusations of gross over-pricing and
kickbacks).

“It is the biggest mistake yet by the Malaysian government for it is
an affront to diplomacy, to international law and common decency. It was
a totally arbitrary act by the Home Ministry and a gross abuse of
executive power of the Najib administration,” Suaram director Cynthia
Gabriel retorted via a statement on July 27, four days after Bourdon’s
deportation.

‘Leadership by example’

Najib has since denied having had a hand in any financial impropriety
in the submarines deal. Now, following in his wrong steps is the Women,
Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil who is
vehemently denying any involvement in the misappropriation of funds
allotted to the National Feedlot Centre which is headed by her husband
Mohamad Salleh Ismail and the couple’s children.

Details furnished by the opposition party PKR allege that Shahrizat
and her family have misused the RM250 million meant for NFC by
purchasing a luxury condominium in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur and another one
in Singapore, a Mercedez Benz and an all-paid Umrah pilgrimage.

Pressure has been mounting on Shahrizat to quit serving the rakyat
but no thanks to the nation’s top two leaders i.e. Najib and his deputy
Muhyiddin Yassin who are playing “godfathers” to her, the 58-year-old
Shahrizat seems unfazed and is capitalising on her 16 years experience
as a politician to cover up her tracks.

Najib thought deporting Bourdon would be the end of his worry, but
not as far as Suaram is concerned, with this human right group going all
out to pin the premier down.

Shahrizat should learn her lesson and own up before she is rejected by the people, “unceremoniously” that is.

Corruption thriving in Malaysia

The NFC scandal has become Shahrizat’s worst political nightmare. On
Dec 23, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raided the NFC
office at Mont Kiara. A day earlier, the MACC set up a special team to
investigate allegations of corruption involving NFC.

While the NFC scandal remains the hottest topic at present, also
having caught the people’s attention was news that aides of Najib and
Muhyiddin and a deputy minister were allegedly “bought” by a businessman
to obtain contracts from the government and its agencies, as exposed by
a blogger, “The Whistleblower711”.

Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussin, who was implicated, claims
that his “conscience is clear” and the money received was not
corruption but instead for the benefit of the people of Bachok, where he
is the Umno division chief.

Whatever their excuses, Shahrizat, Najib, Awang Adek and Sarawak
Chief Minister Taib Mahmud best take cognisance of the fate that befell
former Selangor menteri besar Dr Khir Toyo who on Dec 23 was jailed to
one year after he was found guilty of obtaining for himself and his wife
a valuable property at a consideration Khir knew was insufficient four
years ago.

The court also ordered that Khir’s land and bungalow be forfeited. So
much for Khir trying to ride on his MBship to amass for himself a
fortune.

Politicians must at all times remember that you are here to serve the
rakyat – “people first and not money” must be your undertaking.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

Well, obviously, pun intended. The words 'toyol' and 'iblis' are no typo. ;)

Khir Toyo is just a 'ikan bilis' in the sea of corruption infested by political sharks.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

In a surprise move last night, Penang MCA Youth chief Eng Hiap Boon
resigned from all his party posts, citing disappointment with the MCA
leadership but he said his departure from the party was his own
decision.

There were 439 members who have also resigned together with him, resulting in two MCA branches in the state being shut down.

Eng (right) told a press conference in George Town last night that he and his comrades were very disappointed with the party's leaders,
who were currently facing immoral and unethical issues in their
leadership.

Eng is known to be a "hardcore supporter" of former MCA president Ong
Tee Keat added that Infighting within the party continued to grow and the
leaders have refused to engage with the grassroots or serve the people
genuinely.

He also said that he understood some 500 party members from Johor may
also have resigned from the MCA about the same time (last night),
causing the dissolution of five branches in the process and he didn't know when this tide would stop, but the MCA leadership should really conduct a self-examination.

Eng, a member of the leading Chinese Malaysian party for 18 years,

criticised the MCA leadership for being "disloyal, lacking in integrity,
being immoral and having no righteousness".

UNLESS you believe in Mayan
mythology about the end of the world, 2012 is something to look forward
to. Here are 12 things on my list of things I welcome with great
anticipation:

Elections
-- Although polls don’t actually have to be held until 2013,
historically they are held well before the deadline. This one will be,
to borrow a phrase from the deputy prime minister, “the mother of all
elections”. Was 2008 a fluke for Pakatan Rakyat? We’ll know soon enough.

-- The Selangor mentri besar has said that if a gen-eral election is
called before June, the state would hold its election later. He needs
time to implement the state budget for next year. Selangor is a key
battleground state. This is one to watch, for sure.

-- Although the Penang chief minister has been equivocal about
whether the state poll would be held together with the general election,
there’s little doubt PR will retain Penang. The real question is
whether any of the BN parties (Umno, MCA, Gerakan) can make significant
gains.

Movies
-- What can I say about The Avengers, an ensemble film that
groups together Ironman, Hulk, Thor and Captain America, Hawkeye and
Black Widow? Never before has a multi-superhero movie been attempted.
What a visual spectacle this will be.

-- The Amazing Spiderman is not a sequel but a reboot starring Andrew Garfield (last seen as Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network),
who actually physically resembles Peter Parker more than Toby Maguire.
The new movie, slated for July, is supposed to be grittier than its
predecessors. I guess everyone’s influenced by Christopher Nolan’s
darkish tone for Batman.

-- The Dark Knight Rises is probably the most anticipated
movie for next year. Its trailer broke iTunes’ all-time record with 12.5
million views on its first day of release. The previous record holder
was The Avengers, whose trailer had more than 10 million views. This movie will come out in July, a few weeks after Spiderman.

Music
-- I’m an oldie so all the music that I’m looking forward to is from
older acts, the chief of which would be the new Bruce Springsteen album.
Not much is known about it although fellow rock veteran, Bob Seger, who
recently performed with The Boss, was quoted in Rolling Stone magazine as saying: “He says it’s really unusual and that it’s the best thing that he’s done in years.”

-- Former Beatle, Paul McCartney, hasn’t put out a good original
album in decades. The best stuff has often been his album of cover
songs, the first of which was made in 1988 and the last in 1999. In
2012, he will come out with a new collection which he says are “the
songs me and John (Lennon) based quite a few of our things on”.

-- The Beach Boys are celebrating their 50th anniversary next year
with a reunion tour and album that involves all the surviving core
members. They probably won’t be coming to Malaysia, but their new album,
the first since 1992, is something to look forward to, judging from the
teaser video (http://tinyurl.com/beachboys50) which shows these old boys can still hit the high notes.

Gadgets
-- Next year’s most anticipated tech releases will be dominated by Apple
because they’ll be the last gadgets that bear the mark of Steve Jobs.
Other than Siri, there was little new about the iPhone4S, which means
iPhone 5 will probably be radically – and insanely – different.

-- FaceTime, a video-calling application, was the only real
significant thing about iPad 2. That makes iPad 3 something to look
forward to. It will be thinner and faster, for sure, but the real change
will probably be with the battery which is rumoured to be charged
wirelessly!

-- Jobs is famously quoted as telling biographer Walter Isaacson:
“I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy
to use ... I finally cracked it.” What was it that he cracked? We’ll
just have to wait and see. Apple TV could be Jobs’ best Christmas gift
to all of us in 2012.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 27, 2011): The
Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) is in the midst of
completing investigations involving a businessman alleged to have
misappropriated funds allocated for the National Feedlot
Corporation (NFC).
MACC's director of investigations Datuk Mustafar Ali said once ready,
the investigation report would be send to the attorney general's
office.
"We have not closed our investigations although the suspect's remand
period ended yesterday but allowing the police to investigate the
suspect for his alleged involvement in another criminal breach of trust
case," he told Bernama
when contacted today.
Newspaper reports said a 45-year-old suspect who was remanded for
five days to facilitate investigations into the NFC scandal, was
released but rearrested by police for his involvement in another
cheating case, related to a service
station.
Mustafar said the MACC was collecting data and information related to
the case from the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and four large white
envelopes containing documents that were seized from the NFC office in
Solaris Mont Kiara on Friday.
Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Commercial Crimes Chief ACP Izany Abdul Ghany
when contacted said the suspect would be remanded until Dec 29 to
facilitate investigations.
The issue over NFC surfaced following the 2010 Auditor-General's
Report in October, which stated that NFC had failed to comply with the
objectives of its formation while the opposition alleged
misappropriation of its funds,
particularly in relation to the purchase of two luxury condominiums in the city. - Bernama

Reverend Eu Hong Seng, the Christian Federation of Malaysia vice chairperson said, "Today we are constantly reminded of the rights of the majority guaranteed under Article 153 of the constitution. I think we need to talk about the rights of others as well under
Article 153. When we talk of the rights of (just) one group, if I may
suggest, that is 'bullying'...I have no problem with the rights of the Malays and the sultans in the
constitution, but I think what irks many of us are the shifting
rights... rights as in 1990, year 2000 or the rights, after everything
has been taken away, or rights as in the year when we first celebrated
Merdeka."

So, what problem does Malay-first-Malaysian-second DPM have with regards to Eu's statement?

Why is it that only Umno and Perkasa can shout about Malays' 'special' rights?

Non-Malay or non-Bumi Malaysians who are the minority also want to talk about their rights what! If not, then why do we have MCA, MIC and all other component parties in BN in the first place? Are they not suppposed to represent and be the voice of the minority?

As all of us know, all these parties have failed us miserably!

But seriously, do we really need a race-based party to protect a certain race? Obviously, no.

We want a party that will fight for all - the majority and minority - the rakyat and not just for one race only!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 —The
National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal has proven to be a hit among
rural voters, according to PKR leaders who plan to use the issue as
campaign fodder for the general elections.

The Malaysian Insider understands
that Pakatan Rakyat, especially PKR have been going on a pre-polls
campaign blitz using the graft allegations surrounding embattled Cabinet
minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and her family to maximise
voter support.

“In a way we are actually lucky.
The NFC issue couldn’t have come at a better time. Before this we were
always trying to give examples of what we claim to be corruption by
Umno-Barisan Nasional.

“But with this issue, we have a
golden opportunity to reach out to a host of voters... for us,
Shahrizat’s case is the best example of what is wrong with Umno and its
leaders... corruption, cronyism, money politics,” Rafizi (picture) Ramli told The Malaysian Insider.

The PKR strategic director said
that recent “test runs” by party leaders during ceramahs showed an
increasing demand for the NFC scandal to be highlighted, especially
among rural voters.

“In Kemaman, for instance where
there’s a ceramah, sometimes I don’t bring up the NFC issue but then
they get upset. The kampung folk, rural folk want to talk to about it.
They are upset about it,” he said.

“It’s something they can relate
to...you talk about submarine scandals it’s a bit confusing, but with
the NFC it’s about lembu (cows)- how much do you need to menternak lembu
(take care of cows) and how do you make money out of it.

“Whenever we mention the figures, people are outraged,” added Rafizi.

He said PKR has also taken steps
to ensure the entire chronology of the scandal could be “appreciated”
and understood by all via pamphlets and posters.

PKR first latched onto the issue
after the RM250 million federally-funded cattle project made it into
the pages of the Auditor-General’s report for 2010, which described the
NFC as “a mess”.

Since then, the party has made
several revelations related to the scandal, including the NFC’s purchase
of twin multi-million luxury condominium units in Bangsar, the alleged
use of project funds to finance Shahrizat and her family’s personal
expenses and trips abroad.

It also alleged there was a
transfer of resources to unrelated companies in Singapore, as well as
the purchase a Mercedes-Benz CLS350 for RM534,622 and two plots of land
in Putrajaya’s Precinct 10 for RM3,363,507.

The latest disclosure by PKR,
made on Tuesday, alleged that some RM10 million was diverted towards the
purchase of luxury condominium unit in Singapore for Shahrizat’s
family.

Shahrizat has sought to deflect
away attention by stating she was “only the wife” of the national cattle
farming project’s chairman and had nothing to do with the NFC.

The Wanita Umno chief has faced
calls to quit as minister from within her own party, including from
influential former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, after
repeated attacks from the opposition over the project awarded to her
husband and three children, who are directors in the NFC.

In the latest development of the
on-going scandal, police arrested a man on Thursday who allegedly tried
to bribe senior officers investigating a high-profile commercial crime,
which anti-graft officials say is linked to the NFC scandal.

The police obtained a remand order from the magistrate court for the 45-year-old man.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission (MACC) said the man is now in their custody as part of their
investigations into the case. MACC officials also raided the NFC office
on Friday, carting away a desktop computer central processing unit (CPU)
and four envelopes of documents.

It is understood that the suspect heads a consultancy firm and runs a taxi company.

CCID chief Datuk Syed Ismail
Syed Azizan refused to confirm or deny if the suspect in question was
involved in the controversial cattle raising scheme.

He also refused to comment on whether the man was related to NFC chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Salleh Ismail, husband Shahrizat.

Last night, NFC issued a
statement denying the man is related to the family or has ever worked
with the company. The company had earlier disputed that there was a raid
at its office, saying its officials cooperated with the MACC during a
visit there on Friday.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

"I am blessed to have led this nation for 22 years. I have been tasked
to lead and once we are entrusted to do this, we have to do it well.
Politicians should accept criticisms to be effective leaders."

Thursday, December 22, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is taking further steps to ensure the lower income group does not lose out in today’s world of high technology and information exchange.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said those without quick access to real time information would not be able to compete and be sidelined by those with immediate access to information, news and data.

“To narrow this digital divide we must ensure that this service is freely available or is available at a low and minimal cost to ensure those in the lower income category will have access to the latest news, information and data,” said Najib after launching the nation’s first free satellite TV, Astro NJOI, at PPR Cochrane Perkasa in Cheras yesterday.

“Knowledge is a very important component of any highly progressive society and it is the foundation upon which a nation of excellence is built.

“Giving the people access to a wealth of information is critical in producing a multi-talented, highly-skilled, creative and innovative workforce necessary to build a knowledge-based economy towards becoming a high-income nation.”

The first phase of Astro NJOI’s three-phase plan will see 50,000 people from the Prime Minister’s Office’s eKasih programme receiving free decoders and satellite dishes as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme aimed at giving free access to education, information, entertainment and sports to low-income communities.

Yesterday, Najib presented decoders and satellite sets to 20 recipients from the eKasih programme. Astro will install the sets within three to 10 days.

The company’s NJOI CSR programme will see RM100 million as an initial investment which will increase to RM400 million over the next five years.

Its second phase will see the decoders being sold to the public at retail outlets in the first quarter of next year. After purchasing the decoders, consumers do not need to pay the monthly subscription.

The third phase will enable NJOI users to purchase additional programmes through a prepaid system.

The NJOI package will include 37 channels with 18 TV and 19 radio channels, including education ones and news channels.

Some lucky recipients already Astro subscribers

WHILE Astro may have the noblest of intentions in its NJOI corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, some recipients are already customers despite being in the government’s eKasih programme.

Speaking to The Malay Mail after receiving his free decoder, Abdul Alim Othman, 57, said he had a decoder at home but was still “very happy” to get a free set from Astro yesterday.

“I believe this is my rezeki (good fortune) to get a new decoder. I received a call from Astro two weeks ago and another last week confirming I will be one of the lucky recipients of their new NJOI decoder.

“I will use both decoders. I will put my new decoder in the living room so my four grandchildren can watch it when I babysit them and I will move my old decoder, which has more channels, into my room,” said the father- of-three.

Zaidi Zainal, 42, also has an Astro decoder at home but the account was registered under his brother who lives with him and his family.

When asked if he will keep both decoders, Zaidi said: “I will discuss this with my household first. But I do thank Astro for giving me this new free NJOI decoder for which I don’t have to pay a monthly subscription.”

Rosli Md Akhir, 43, said he used to have a decoder about 10 years ago before experiencing financial difficulties.

“I am only a night market trader. Once, I went through a very hard time and couldn’t pay the monthly subscription.

“I am so happy to receive this gift from Astro and I really appreciate what they have done for me.”

Wow! This ekasih flers are luckier (and richer!) than me...I'm also a subscriber of Astro but I only have one decoder and am paying RM79.90 every month for 'FREE' NJOI and 'PAID' channels.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Quizzed on the latest revelation by PKR
concerning a luxury condo in Singapore, the minister says that she is
merely the wife of the NFC chairman.

UPDATED

KUALA
LUMPUR: Shahrizat Abdul Jalil today dodged questions on the latest
RM10 million Singapore condominium exposé made by PKR and merely
reiterated her non-involvement in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC)
scandal.
Bombarded by questions from reporters at a charity event here, the
Women, Family and Community Development Minister again said she has no
ties with the national cattle farming project apart from being “only the
wife” of its chairman.
“I’ve said it before… legally and professionally, I am not involved in the NFC.
“I am just the wife of the NFC chairman. Don’t all women and families have husband?”
In the latest assault on the Umno Wanita chief, PKR leaders claimed
yesterday that Shahrizat had used taxpayers’ money meant to finance the
NFC to purchase a luxury condominium in Singapore on Jan 27 last year.
The unit, a 2,282 square foot condominium, one of the largest
available at the posh Orchard Scotts Residences on Anthony Road, was
purportedly purchased under her family’s name.
Although paper trails to prove the purchase were made using NFC cash
was not available, PKR leaders said the presence of several of
Shahrizat’s private businesses in the island state allegedly connected
to NFC’s funds was strong enough to suggest a link.
Apart from various other discrepancies concerning the cattle breeding
project, Shahrizat’s family had come under fire for a purchase of two
luxury condominiums worth RM14 million in upmarket Bangsar here.
But Shahrizat’s husband, Mohamad Salleh Ismail, had defended the move
as a sound investment from idle money, saying the One Menerung units
were rental cash-cows.Strong support from party

The NFC scandal has forced Umno and the Najib administration to be on the defensive.
Several leaders from the ruling party have joined in the chorus of
calls for Shahrizat to quit her post as they view her to be a liability
to Umno’s preparation for the 13th general election.
The leaders include party supreme council member Bung Mokhtar Radin and influential former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Shahrizat claimed she has the strong backing of Umno members,
especially those under her wing as reflected by the support shown at the
party’s recently concluded annual general assembly.
However, several delegates have expressed concern and contempt towards her for dragging the party into the NFC mess.
Shahrizat today reiterated her belief that she has strong support
from the party leaders, saying she will not allow anyone to “tell her
what to do”.
She also said she will discuss her next action with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak but declined to elaborate.
“I am a veteran politician so I know what needs to be done,” she said.

21 December 2011 | Last updated at 01:21AM

More benefits to come

By Rozanna Latiff

More 1Malaysia products and services on the cards

Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Rahimah Majid, 55, watching a
programme on Astro’s new free satellite TV service at her home in
Perumahan Rakyat Cochrane Perkasa, Cheras, Kuala, Lumpur, yesterday.
Najib launched NJOI, which is offered free to residents there. NJOI
requires users to pay a one-off payment for a decoder that offers 18
television and 19 radio channels. There is no monthly subscription. Pic
by Rosdan Wahid

No doubt, there are more free TV and radio channels now compared to the days when Astro was not around but then again, the viewers have to bear with all the advertisements in between a show. Astro is a 'for-profit' entity - hence it will still make money from ads though free service for us. Sadly, these NJOI users who are low-income earners still have to pay a one-off payment for a decoder. So-called free lah!

Having failed to stop the Bill through a last minute
memorandum hours before the Dewan Negara debate, civil society group
KilltheBill.org said like the BN members of the Dewan Rakyat, the 39 senators who passed the Bill had let down
Malaysians and would go down in history as traitors to our
constitutionally-enshrined freedom.

The group, which has held several civil disobedience events
since Dewan Rakyat passed the Bill on Nov 30, said the senators had failed
in their duty to check the Lower House’s mistakes.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, coordinator Vienna Looi (seated right in photo) said,
“Today’s events does not mean an end to the movement's struggle, with more peaceful protests in store in the next year.We wanted to show that the rakyat will not stay quiet... we had hoped
to stop the Bill but we had to be realistic... we will announce our
strategy on how to fight the Bill. It is just a start of a long
struggle ”

PETALING
JAYA, Dec 20 — PKR revealed yet another startling expose today in the
ongoing National Feedlot Centre (NFC) controversy, alleging that some
RM10 million was siphoned to purchase another luxury condominium — this
time in Singapore — for minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abd Jalil’s
family.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said the 2,282-square feet
condominium, one of the largest available at the posh Orchard Scotts
Residences on Anthony Road, was purchased for S$4.1 million by the
senior minister’s family members on January 27 last year.

A view of the posh Orchard Scotts Residences. — Picture courtesy of www.fareast.com.sg

According to the currency exchange rate at the time of purchase, he said the unit would have cost about RM9.9 million.

“What is even more nauseating is that the unit was registered
directly under the names of Shahrizat’s family members, instead of the
company... they were jointly registered under (husband) Datuk Seri Dr
Mohamad Salleh Ismail and their two children Izran and Izzana,” he told a
press conference today.

An Umno Youth leader has threatened to “spit” and “slap” the face of the
student who had lowered the flag depicting Prime Minister Najib Abdul
Razak at the Umno headquarters last Saturday.

In aYoutube posting posted two days ago, PJU’s Umno Youth information chief Armand Azha Abu Hanifah accompanied
by party members launched a tirade against Legasi Mahasiswa Progresif
(LMP) coordinator Adam Adli for the stunt with Armand declaring, “Do not let us see you, we will slap and spit on your
face, who do you think you are coming to disturb our place?”

The Youtube posting has gained close to 60,000 views and garnered over 5,000 ‘dislikes’ as opposed to 200 ‘likes’.

The video is one of many threats levelled against Adam who had lowered
the flag of Najib at last week's academic freedom protest - the latest was when an unidentified male attempted to attack Adam
outside Bukit Aman police headquarters, after Adam tried to lodge a
police report over the text message threat that reads: “Adam, hell is waiting for you!”

In the past, Armand (right), who is the former Perkasa Youth chief, issued a similar YouTube threat against rapper Namewee.

The Bersih 2.0 chair says: 'There is no
discrimination as far as rights arising from citizenship. Either you're a
citizen or not.'

Speaking as the guest of honour at the "Hari Keluarga NGO-NGO" organised
by
the Kelab Belia Kamuning, Sungei Siput, Perak, held last Saturday, at
the Dewan Konvensyen, Taman Tun Sambanthan, Ambiga told a cheering crowd
of 1,000 over that the factor that determined the rights and duties of
the people of this
country was their citizenship and not the size of the community they
belong to.

The beaming
chairperson of Bersih 2.0, Ambiga Srinivasan (left) said, "I
was told that in Malaysia I belonged to a minority race. It had to be
accepted then. Today, I reject it. I firmly declare that in this country
I belong to the majority and I am a citizen."

Ambiga said she would begin with the demand for reassessing ourselves as how we look at and explain to each other as citizens.

Embattled Wa­nita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has des­cribed the coming general election as a “war” in which the wing can expect a fierce fight.

For this reason, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak must be regarded as the commander-in-chief and Wanita members should be solidly behind him, she told some 300 Ampang Wanita Umno members during a programme to strengthen the election machinery.

“Like Malay warriors, we must fight whether or not there is Mak Lampir (a ghostly character in Indonesian movies),” she said yesterday, referring to her PKR counterpart Zuraida Kama­ruddin, who had asked her to resign over the National Feedlot Corporation controversy.

Shahrizat, who is also Women, Family and Community Deve­lopment Minister, said those who tried to undermine her were also insulting Wanita Umno and Malaysian women as she represented them.

Shahrizat, who lamented what she described as a “trying time for her as a woman, wife and mother”, added that the RM250mil her husband received for the NFC project was a loan which he had to pay back.

Ampang Wanita Barisan Nasional chief Dr Rozaidah Taib said it was apt that Shahrizat had chosen to visit the division as Zuraida is the MP for the area.

“She has been making many distressing appearances as Mak Lampir,” said Dr Rozaidah.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia has been found by the Penang High Court today to have defamed Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in a report headlined 'Kebiadapan Guan Eng’, published on Dec 20 last year and ordered the publisher to pay Lim RM200,000 in damages, and RM25,000 as costs.

Lim
had sued the Malay language daily for defamation, based on its report
on his speech themed 'A People's Government for the Real Malaysians' that was delivered at the Pakatan Rakyat convention in Kepala Batas on Dec 19 last year.

Reading out his judgment in court, Judicial Commissioner GV Varughese outlined seven paragraphs in which Utusan had “maliciously' defamed Lim, and made him and the DAP look as if they are anti-Malay and anti-Islam and said the writer of the article - Zulkiflee Bakar - had made "sweeping statements" implying that Lim was a racist but Varughese said he had not found any basis in Lim's speech to support the "rash and irresponsible" claim.

Varughese held that Zulkiflee's inference that Lim had directed his Pakatan colleagues to stop
fighting for the Malay cause was meant to
"excite" the readers to colour the chief minister in a negative light.

As for Lim attacking the Malays in his speech, Varughese said he was
not shown any proof that this was so, and that the writer could not
assume that there was a reaction to it from the Malay community as there was no evidence that the speech had offended the Malays. If the speech was racist, the first to react would have been the participants of the convention, who were mostly Malays, Varughese reasoned.